MNN.COM > MNN BLOGGERS > Jenn Savedge's Blog

Jenn Savedge

Reduce your family's food waste

Don't throw your food (or your money) in the trash.
Thu, Jul 02 2009 at 8:00 AM EST
Read more: GREEN KIDS, KID FOODS

 

Do you throw your money in the trash?  You do if you throw out food.  And as much as we cringe when we do it ... we all (Americans, that is) do it probably every day. That’s why 12 percent of the U.S. waste stream is made up of food scraps. Keep your hard earned dollars out of the trash and help preserve the world's resources by using these simple tips to help reduce your family’s food waste.
 
Make a list: Before you head out to the grocery store, take a few minutes to think about your family’s schedule for the week ahead and which foods will work best for your menu. If you're uber-organized, go ahead and plan out your meals for each day.  For the rest of us, just aim to have a good idea of the types of meals you will eat throughout the week.  There is no point in buying a lot of great organic ingredients if everyone will be too busy to eat them. Make a list of the ingredients you’ll need and stick to it.
 
Pass it on: Got an extra jar of creamed corn or box of mashed potatoes that you’re not likely to use? Pass on any non-perishables (or even unspoiled perishables) to your local food bank so that they can feed someone in need. Check out America’s Second Harvest to find a food bank near you.
 
Give it to the birds: What is it about bread crusts that makes them so hated by kids?  Save those discarded bread crusts along with any stale crackers or moldy rolls and bring them along to feed the birds on your next outing in the park.  (Make sure that it's OK with town or park officials for you to feed the birds before you do it.)
 
Be a dirt farmer: Don’t toss those rotten tomatoes or banana peels in the trash. Turn them in to compost instead. Compost is the ultimate recycler … it turns useless yucky stuff into really valuable yucky stuff. It also reduces waste, saves money, and can help protect your plants from diseases and pests. And it’s not as hard as you might think to get started. Check out this post on starting a compost pile. 

 

CLOSE link:
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
« Previous
Cancer risk from school windows?		   Next »
12 eco-tips for teens

Comments(3)

Sort by:
Posted By Anonymous - Wed, Jul 15 2009 at 5:33 PM EST

don't feed moldy bread to anyone

Thank you for pointing out that we can all be very wasteful and that we can all improve our habits!

But your recommendation to feed bread to birds is way off. First, moldy, spoiled food isn't healthy for anyone. Why risk making anyone sick? Don't feed it to birds or squirrels or kids or dogs or yourself. Compost it! (If you have a lot of very smelly moldy food, you might have to throw it out rather than transform the earthy smell of compost into a pungent pile of yuck.

And--.... More

Posted By Elizah Leigh - Thu, Jul 02 2009 at 9:44 PM EST

Maybe I'm A Natural Born Resource Conservation Strategist

This is a fantastic list of suggestions and I'm happy to say that I already do them, but it never hurts to have a refresher course. I was brought up by budget conscious parents whose eyes would pop out of their skulls if my sister and I ever dared to throw something away...that was way before being "green" was a concept. Today, I'm an active member of a green social network and do everything in my power to make the resources I'm fortunate enough to have last as long as possible. Still, I.... More

Posted By Janelle - Thu, Jul 02 2009 at 10:54 AM EST

waste not want not...

I brought this up in a post I did at HealthyChild.org and here was the startling statistic I found:
"According to the US Health Department, approximately 25% of food in the US is thrown away - 96.4 billion pounds of food a year. That's about one pound of food, per citizen, per day that ends up lining the trash bins. And that's a study from 1995; many believe the number has perhaps doubled by now. Take only what you'll eat and use your leftovers (try LeftOverChef.com for recipe.... More

Add your comment

You can’t fool Mother Nature
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA